This invention, in general, relates to building structures. More particularly, this invention relates to a body structure for furniture and building structures, for example, doors, tables, windows, etc.
Wood and its derivatives, for example, plywood, medium density fiberboard, etc. are currently the preferred choice of material for fabrication of doors and windows in most parts of the world. Building structures and fixtures, for example, doors and windows consume a large quantity of wood and place a large burden on our already shrinking environmental resources. There is an urgent need for a substitute for wood in building structures that will reduce the environmental impact and also address the following disadvantages of utilizing wood.
If not properly taken care of, wood has a limited life. Wood may decay when exposed to moisture for long periods, and is also prone to termite attacks. In tropical countries with excess rainfall, wood expands seasonally due to excess moisture content, due to which doors and windows get jammed and are therefore unworkable. Wood and its derivatives, for example, plywood, medium density fiberboard, etc. create bulky constructions. For example, most doors and window products made of wood are an inch thick. Moreover, if colored images are to be applied on wood, it has to be in the form of coatings. However, coatings on wood or its derivatives have a limited life. These coatings may discolor or peel off. Wood is also not amenable to be worked into a variety of surface textures.
Another limitation of wooden doors and windows is the higher cost of material, and accruing cost of fabrication. Furthermore, the construction of wooden doors and windows may require skilled labor.
Hence, there is an unmet need for overcoming the above mentioned drawbacks associated with the existing materials used for fabricating doors and windows. Moreover, there is a need for a long-standing structure as frequent replacements for doors and windows may be cumbersome and expensive.
Furthermore, there is a need for materials that possess properties, for example, abrasion resistance, dirt resistance, moisture resistance, shock resistance, fire resistance, frost resistance, thermal shock resistance, stain resistance, chemical resistance, and color permanence in order to achieve long durability.
Glass fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) doors are not aesthetically pleasing, and therefore there is a need to integrate attractive decorative surfaces in FRP doors without affecting the structural integrity of FRP doors.